Tuesday, August 21, 2007

On Boats.

Boats have a personality all of their own. Mine likes to approach a heavy chop with my hand light---very light---on the wheel. Too much fussing with the wheel and she gets feisty. So, the other day with a chop that soon became 3-4’ waves and a 5 footer every fifth or sixth wave, she took me for a ride. Water over the port side; dark glasses so wet I couldn’t see, and hanging on for all it was worth. I was alone.
The water was that blue that comes in the early fall; the mountains were already puckered with maroon on their upper shoulders.
Fall, so full of promise and yet so close to the end. What a contrast. I feel strangely sad in the fall and try to avoid the late fall days of intense color. But the boat was good today.

Enough.
What portentous times we face. Russia and China such huge powers where totalitarian governments see over robust and quickly growing market economies That sounds inconsistent; but it isn’t. Don’t think for one moment that democracy is the only system capable of supporting a capitalist market system. A lot of the ‘isms support such economies and grow rapidly.
So, you might ask. So, what? Well, economics is about how societies deal with scarcity. Allocation of scarce resources is the standard definition of Econ 101. It’s all about choices. I’ve been fascinated with choices and decision-making for years. It’s how we define ourselves --- in part.
With globalization are we the US in trouble? I don’t know. I’ve got some ideas and I’m no isolationist. Certainly the world has changed. What do you think? Come back at me. Don’t forget that 70% of the world lives in poverty.
Why am I so grim and heavy handed today? I should listen to some music. But what? Any suggestions?
Another day, all.
~RayPS. Photo is from http://www.francoisdelvaux.com/index.html